America Makes has recently announced two new awards to Optomec. The aim is to speed the adoption of one of my own personal favourite additive technologies: the LENS metal additive manufacturing process. Optomec’s LENS (Laser Engineered Net Shaping) process is already applied for full 3D printing of metal parts and has a proven and expanding history of applications in industry. The process also allows the selective adding of material in 3D to enhance existing parts produced using conventional production methods.
For the new projects enabled by America Makes, Optomec is looking to focus in on two key areas In project one Optomec will be attacking the additive / subtractive combination manufacturing problem, working in partnership with the high profile line-up of Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control, MachMotion, TechSolve, and the U.S. Army Benet Laboratories to develop a modular, cost-effective “LENS Engine” that can be integrated with existing machining tools to facilitate 3D metal printing. The resulting hybrid systems aim to bridge the gap between subtractive and additive manufacturing processes.
The latest in path generation, controls and quality monitoring will be embedded in a modular design that can be retrofitted into an existing or new CNC machine tool. It’s a surprisingly simple sounding idea that heralds a beautifully complex range of potential outputs: taking away material, adding material, taking away a bit of both, adding some more, or whatever combination of additive and subtractive manufacturing ‘directions’ that the tool worker wishes to achieve, within the obvious physical limits of those materials’ properties.
In the second project Optomec will work with Applied Optimization Inc. to attack the quality angle — something that is central to metal 3D printing achieving it’s full potential — by developing a ‘recipe book’ of process parameters in a knowledge base for defect-free 3D printing of metals using the LENS process. The said database will allow a process engineer to quickly choose from a matrix of known good process parameters to reduce, and eventually eliminate, the trial-and-error process development.
Such programmatic instruction sets will initially be generated for two aerospace alloys using ParaGen physics-based simulation software and verified using physical trials. This procedure is designed to provide an empirical basis for the selection of deposition parameters, which will then be a process proforma that can be applied to a variety of materials.
LENS General Manager, Dr. Richard Grylls commented: “The new capabilities developed under these America Makes projects will provide an evolutionary approach for industry to realise the benefits of metal additive manufacturing solutions. First, the LENS Engine will provide a low-cost entry point for 3D printing of metals because it leverages the widely available installed base of conventional machine tools, enabling additive manufacturing to co-exist with subtractive manufacturing methods. Additionally, the knowledge database will provide a growing repository of proven process parameters, speeding productive use of metal 3D printing with LENS. We are delighted to receive these two project awards from America Makes and to be partnered with world-class companies to bring these new metal additive manufacturing capabilities to industry.
About America Makes
America Makes is the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, the USA’s leading collaborative partner in AM and 3DP technology research and creation. Structured as a public-private partnership with member organisations from industry, academia, government, non-government agencies, and workforce and economic development resources, we are working together to innovate and accelerate AM and 3DP to increase our nation’s global manufacturing competitiveness. Based in Youngstown, Ohio, America Makes is the pilot institute for up to 45 manufacturing innovation institutes and is driven by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM).
Shane, do you know any any company/univ experimenting with mix metal/plastic yet? It’s what I consider the Holy Grail of 3D printing. Most of the powder-based sintering methods probably won’t work for this and of course the heat of the metal will melt the underlying plastic, etc, etc. But wondering if you’ve heard of anything thinking on it.